Page 5 of Unbreakable Vow

“If you’re not interested in talking about my offer, I’m not interested in staying,” I say, gripping the doorknob, so he can’t see my hand shaking. Everything inside of me is shaking. And sweating. I’m going to be covered in a thin layer of sweat if we don’t finish this soon.

The chair scraping against the carpeting sends a chill down my spine. I turn to see what he’s up to and find him only a step away.

He closes the gap between us until my back is pressed against the door. I crane my neck, looking up at him.

“Do you know how dangerous it is to provoke a man like me?” His gaze dips down to my mouth, just as he traces my bottom lip with his fingertip.

“I’m not trying to provoke you.” Though his raised eyebrow and firmly set jaw suggests I’ve already done so.

“You come into my office trying to extort me and then you turn your back on me?” He moves his finger along my jaw until he pushes my hair behind my ear.

I swallow hard, wishing the floor would do the same and take me away from here. My heart and my stomach have collided somewhere in my body, but since his stare has every nerve ending busy firing off electricity, I can’t tell where.

Pressing his forearm against the door, he leans in further.

The spice of his aftershave fills the slim space between us.

“I told you to sit back down,” he says. “I don’t like being disobeyed.” He runs his gaze over my face, like he’s searching me.

I’m stuck. All I can do is keep staring at him. I don’t want to ruin my chances any more than I might have already.

“I was only saying if you’re not interested, then I won’t waste your time.” I’m shocked the words come out in the right order.

“If you were mine, you’d learn not to disobey.” He pushes off the door before I can process the words. I stand gripping my purse in front of me, watching him as he makes his way back to his desk.

Once he’s settled in his chair, he leans back and brings his eyes up to mine.

“Ten thousand if the information is helpful,” he says after another moment passes. He leans forward, pressing his elbows to the edge of his desk as he points a finger at me. “But the information has to be helpful.”

“Of course.” I fidget with the zipper on my purse again. I can’t show him how much hope his sentence gives me. Ten thousand buys me an extra month, maybe a little more. I should be able to get everything squared away by then.

“All right.” He gestures. “What is it?”

I take a deep breath and hurry back to my seat. No need to poke the bear any more than I already have. Especially when he’s looking like he’ll cooperate.

“Someone in your organization is talking with the police. Well, he could have been FBI, I’m not sure, I couldn’t see hisbadge well enough.” I clench my teeth to stop talking. What is wrong with me, I’m all word vomit today.

It’s him. It’s Sergei.

It’s the sternness of his eyes and the spiced aftershave, mixed with his square jaw and that beard. Something about a strong jaw covered in a neatly trimmed beard just gets me, and this man has everything to go along with it.

“All right. Who?” he presses when I say nothing else.

“I’m sorry, what?” I lean toward him.

“Who is the someone talking to the police or the FBI?” He’s calm. I would think he’d be angry about this, but he’s completely composed.

“Oh.” I chew on the inside of my lip and think back to what the police officer said. There was no name given. “Well, I don’t exactly know that. Only that he’s been talking with the police officer I overheard this morning.”

Sergei blinks. “You don’t have a name?”

I open my mouth but shut it when I realize the situation. I have nothing to offer.

Knowing someone’s snitching isn’t as useful as knowing who is snitching.

“No, but now you know someone is talking out of turn and you can find out who it is.” I do my best to spin it.

He leans back, steeples his hands.

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